Approaches for Implementation of Education for Sustainable Development in Public Universities in Uganda: A Case of Busitema University

Abstract

The contribution of higher education institutions as the main drivers of change in ameliorating the immense sustainability challenges plaguing the world is widely acknowledged. Many higher education institutions have taken innovative strides in incorporating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) but there are hardly any reports about how higher education institutions in Uganda are contributing to the achievement of the sustainable development goals. Busitema University’s mission is “to educate and train for societal transformation and sustainability.” The purpose of this study was to investigate the approaches adopted by academic staff in Busitema University to implement ESD as captured in the instituion’s mission. The study was informed by the transformative learning theory and influenced by a pragmatist philosophical stand. A concurrent mixed methods strategy based on a cross-sectional survey and case study design was adopted employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches to answer the research questions on implementation of ESD. Self-administered questionnaires to academic staff, interviews with key ESD persons and focus group discussions with students were used to develop detailed research evidence. Documents were reviewed to complement primary data. The findings show that academic staff in Busitema University have adopted varied discipline-based programmatic approaches for implementing education for sustainable development without embracing the much desired whole system approach. They dominantly use teacher-centered pedagogical approaches and have not fully embraced transformative pedagogical approaches. They use ICTs basically for general task of communication and information sharing. The study concludes that the inclusion of sustainability themes in the University’s mission had not translated adequately into practical actions. The study recommends a holistic, comprehensive and multidimensional approach in order to develop, harmonise and strengthen implementation; adoption of transformative pedagogical approaches and intentional use of ICTs to implement programmayic and pedagogical approaches for Education for Sustainable Development.